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HITS and MISSES: ‘Bigger and Better Things’ for Canelo and More

It was the last big-fight weekend in the United States, so there were plenty of HITS and MISSES to consider this time around. The boxing world saw Canelo Alvarez defeat Callum Smith on DAZN, Gennadiy Golovkin return from his hiatus to win a mandatory title defense the day prior, and plenty of other fights, too.
Here are the biggest HITS and MISSES from another weekend on the boxing beat.
HIT: ‘Bigger and Better Things’ for Canelo AlvarezÂ
Canelo Alvarez dominated Callum Smith on Saturday night at the Alamodome in San Antonio. Alvarez’s patient, clever and powerful counterpunching was just too much for the previously undefeated Smith to handle.
Where the likes of myself and our TSS editor Arne Lang thought enough of the 30-year-old Englishman to predict he would present all sorts of problems for Canelo, the Mexican superstar completely flipped that script from the opening bell.
Despite the previous promotional line that Alvarez was already a four-division world champion, his big win on Saturday night over Smith finally netted Alvarez that honor in reality. Canelo has now won at least one of the four major alphabet titles in four different weight classes. Alvarez is only 30 years old, and he’s already worn belts at 154, 160, 168 and 175.
It’s an incredible accomplishment. He’s already the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, and he could be on his way to doing even bigger and better things.
MISS: Boxing’s Absurd World Championship System
During the immediate aftermath of the fight, I was so annoyed with DAZN’s Brian Kenny and his assertion that somehow Alvarez had only become a three-division champion by beating Smith that I devoted a big part of my reaction on YouTube to the fight to that topic.
After a couple days of thinking about the issue longer, though, I realize it’s silly for me to be mad at Kenny over something so confusing.
Boxing’s world championship system is incredibly complicated and quite absurd. That Kenny added to that confusion on Saturday night by taking a very personalized stance on the topic is something that exactly fits into the overall structure of the sport. Almost every single boxing fan has to do this because the present circumstance makes little sense.
There are alphabet titles, made-up lineal championships and even titles offered by media panels. That’s just too many, and the list of people claiming to award world championships in the sport seems to grow by the day.
Hopefully, that can change someday soon.
HIT: Gennadiy Golovkin’s Impressive Dedication
Gennadiy Golovkin defended his IBF middleweight title against mandatory challenger Kamil Szeremeta on Friday night on DAZN, and it went just about how everyone expected it would. Golovkin knocked Szeremeta down four times during the seven rounds until the fight was stopped.
While Golovkin vs. Szeremeta wasn’t nearly the fight people wanted to see for one of the biggest superstars in the sport, it should at least be noted that the 38-year-old is still somehow competing in the same 160-pound division in which he started his career nearly 15 years ago.
Golovkin’s dedication to fitness and constant improvement to form under relatively new trainer Johnathan Banks is a case study in an old dog staying younger than he could be otherwise by attempting to learn new tricks.
“GGG” might not be what he used to be, but he’s still one of the best fighters in the world.
MISS: Everything About Showtime’s Card on Saturday NightÂ
Showtime had a boxing card on Saturday night as well, and the only people I saw posting about it on social media were the people who work for Showtime, boxing writers who drew the short straw to cover it, and a handful of hardcore bettors who had money on the line.
Here we have a television network needlessly segmenting an already relatively small audience for a fight that fell through anyway. Nonito Donaire was originally supposed to face ex-titleholder Emmanuel Rodriguez for the vacant WBC bantamweight belt. But Donaire tested positive for COVID-19, so Reymart Gaballo got the nod instead.
Gaballo surprisingly pulled the upset in the fight via split decision. There have been cries of robbery all over the internet about it, so what ultimately transpired was the awarding of a world title in a fight nobody planned and hardly anybody watched.
The people who did watch were angry over boxing shooting itself in the foot again with bad scorecards. Well, unless they were among the small number of bettors who backed the underdog for the upset.
Regardless, boxing could use less events like this one all the way around.
HIT: Eddie Hearn’s Big Plans on Undisputed Best Fight for 2021
Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn told the media in San Antonio on Saturday night that Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury had “verbally agreed” to face each other during the summer of 2021.
That bit of news came on the heels of Hearn revealing the day prior that Joshua and Fury would consider ditching their alphabet belts if the various sanctioning organizations, particularly the WBO, were going to stand in the way of crowning the first undisputed heavyweight champion since Lennox Lewis.
That’s an amazing turn of events in a short period of time.
To go along with the WBO mandatory challenger Oleksandr Usyk revealing he would happily wait for the winner of Joshua vs. Fury, it does seem like the biggest and best fight that can be made in boxing is actually going to happen.
More importantly, one of boxing’s most powerful promoters made a public stand against the silly political machinations the WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF sometimes engage in that ultimately hurt the sport.
Check out more boxing news on video at the Boxing ChannelÂ
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Argentinaâs Fernando Martinez Wins His Rematch with Kazuto Ioka

In an excellent fight climaxed by a furious 12th round, Argentinaâs Fernando Daniel Martinez came off the deck to win his rematch with Kazuto Ioka and retain his piece of the world 115-pound title. The match was staged at Iokaâs familiar stomping grounds, the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
In their first meeting on July 7 of last year in Tokyo, Martinez was returned the winner on scores of 117-111, 116-112, and a bizarre 120-108. The rematch was slated for late December, but Martinez took ill a few hours before the weigh-in and the bout was postponed.
The 33-year-old Martinez, who came in sporting a 17-0 (9) record, was a 7-2 favorite to win the sequel, but there were plenty of reasons to favor Ioka, 36, aside from his home field advantage. The first Japanese male fighter to win world titles in four weight classes, Ioka was 3-0 in rematches and his long-time trainer Ismael Salas was on a nice roll. Salas was 2-0 last weekend in Times Square, having handled upset-maker Rolly Romero and Reito Tsutsumi who was making his pro debut.
But the fourth time was not a charm for Ioka (31-4-1) who seemingly pulled the fight out of the fire in round 10 when he pitched the Argentine to the canvas with a pair of left hooks, but then wasnât able to capitalize on the momentum swing.
Martinez set a fast pace and had Ioka fighting off his back foot for much of the fight. Beginning in round seven, Martinez looked fatigued, but the Argentine was conserving his energy for the championship rounds. In the end, he won the bout on all three cards: 114-113, 116-112, 117-110.
Up next for Fernando Martinez may be a date with fellow unbeaten Jesse âBamâ Rodriguez, the lineal champion at 115. San Antonioâs Rodriguez is a huge favorite to keep his title when he defends against South Africaâs obscure Phumelela Cafu on July 19 in Frisco, Texas.
As for Ioka, had he won todayâs rematch, that may have gotten him over the hump in so far as making it into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. True, winning titles in four weight classes is no great shakes when the bookends are only 10 pounds apart, but Ioka is still a worthy candidate.
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Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

In a torrid battle Mexicoâs Emanuel âVaqueroâ Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippineâs Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.
What do they feed these guys?
Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.
An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarreteâs left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.
From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.
It was savage.
Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.
Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.
Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarreteâs face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.
But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the refereeâs call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.
Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.
Interim IBF Lightweight Title
The sharp-shooting Raymond âDangerâ Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russiaâs Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.
Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.
Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaevâs guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.
Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratallaâs accuracy.
There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.
Muratalla was brief.
âHe was a tough fighter,â said Muratalla. âMy defense is something I work on a lot.â
Perla Wins
Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.
Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Wardâs attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.
Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank
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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Frank Warrenâs Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Irelandâs Anthony âApacheâ Cacace.
Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.
In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Woodâs trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.
Akin to Wood, Northern Irelandâs Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasnât at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.
Semi-Wind-Up
Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.
This was Taylorâs first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.
Other Bouts of Note
In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Irelandâs previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.
In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The refereeâs scorecard read 96-94.
Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.
A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).
Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry
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